Ward 2 Councilmember Paul Cunningham

Saguaro National Park proposes an increase to the park’s 7-Day Private Vehicle Entrance Permit from $10 to $15. The seven day pass admits a private vehicle and all of its occupants into the park for one week. If approved, the increase would go into effect on January 1, 2017. The increase in fees will help bring the park into alignment with the entry costs for other similar parks, a phased process which began in 2015. The park requests comments from the public concerning the proposed increase.

The City of Tucson has been experiencing one of the hottest summers on record. Tucson Parks and Recreation department would like to invite kids to beat the heat and cool off at one of 17 city pools for free for the remainder of the summer season. Beginning July 17 youth under the age of 17 will pay no admission fee at 17 City of Tucson Pools. A fee will still be charged at the Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center pool. Fees are $2 for adults (18 and over) and $1 for youth (17 and under).

This week, the point of access between Sabino Canyon Road and the frontage road leading to Calle Malaga has been temporarily shifted from its current location slightly south of Redbud Road to temporary paved access directly at Redbud Road.

The change in access is anticipated to last four to six weeks before access is moved to the newly constructed frontage road access points.

On Saturday, June 25, 2016, Old Spanish Trail will be closed to travel from 22nd Street west approximately 450 feet to allow work crews to mill (remove asphalt) and repave the roadway. All of the driveways for business access from Old Spanish Trail will remain open. Business access will be maintained for motorists via Harrison Road. The closure will be in place from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

The Sabino Canyon Road extension project will begin construction of the western Udall Park entrance and signal next week off of Sabino Canyon Road. The work will require the entrance to be closed for 2-3 weeks.

The City of Tucson’s Mayor and Council have suggested two fare increase options for passengers to review. Additional open house events have been scheduled to provide information on the following policies and proposed changes:

Proposed fare increase (two options)

City of Tucson Title VI policies, which include Fare Change, Major Service Change, Disproportionate Burden, and Disparate Impact.

With six public meetings scheduled in June and an opportunity for the public to contribute in other ways, Arizonans can help shape the next step in planning for the proposed Interstate 11 as the Arizona Department of Transportation moves ahead on a three-year environmental study for a corridor stretching from Nogales to Wickenburg.

The following traffic control will be in place while the contractor installs new sewer lines and repaves portions of the roadway through the intersection of 22nd Street and Columbus Boulevard. To reduce the impact on the traveling public, most trenching, excavation and pipe installation work will be completed over night. However, some daytime lane restrictions will remain in place in order to complete the paving operations.

Governor Ducey has ordered that all state flags be lowered to half-staff effective from sunrise and until sunset May 4, 2016, in honor of Navy SEAL Charlie Keating IV. Flags will be lowered again on the day of his interment, which will be announced at a later date.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey today announced an economic development project win for the state with the news that Caterpillar Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, has selected Tucson, Ariz., as the new location for its surface mining and technology offices.